The Light in His Eyes
by ncfan
Summary: His blue eyes were growing colder, and I didn't want to see him fade. Poll request.


This choice was in the lead on my poll, so here's the NaruHina fic you were wanting! If you want to see me write about a certain character or character combination, tune in to the poll on my profile.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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I am not what anyone would call bold. I constantly watch the expressions of others, watching for changes, for approval or disapproval. That, coupled with my kekkei genkai, has given me a gift that, I think, is better than boldness.

I can see someone's soul through their eyes.

That, I suppose, is what first drew me to him. We were young, small children, and I saw a world of conflicting emotions in his eyes. He was cheerful, wildly cheerful, yet sad too. I had never seen so much sadness in anyone's eyes before, not even in my cousin's. It was as though the world had chewed, swallowed, and spat him out, so great was the rejection in his brilliant blue eyes.

It was his sadness, not his determination, that first drew me to Uzumaki Naruto.

He didn't notice me, not at first. I was shy, a wallflower, and of course his crush on the more outgoing and noticeable Haruno Sakura overshadowed me.

But I worked up my courage, and first spoke to him when we were six years old.

_Nervously, I walked over to where the little blond boy sat in the sand, drawing doodles with his index finger._

_He heard my approach, and looked up. "Oh, hi!"_

_I could barely speak, because I realized that his eyes were beautiful. "H-hello," I whispered, standing ill at ease, the silk of my jacket fluttering in the breeze._

"_My name's Naruto, what's yours?"_

"_H-Hinata."_

Later, he told me that I was the first friend his own age he had ever had. I was amazed. How could he be so unpopular? He was so open, so friendly, so cheerful, so _cute_ (I got the feeling that I was alone on _this_ thought). Then I realized that this was why his eyes were so lonely, and I resolved to make him feel as welcome as possible.

Unfortunately, my shy side and clan etiquette gave me no say in this matter, and I stayed at arm's length for years.

However, I continued to watch, follow, and occasionally talk to him long after, because his eyes kept pulling me back.

And when I was eight, I found out that I wasn't the only one who noticed.

_I was writing the notes Iruka-sensei hastily wrote on the chalkboard, when a piece of paper in the shape of a paper airplane hit the side of my head._

_Frowning slightly, I opened it, and I'm sure my face was as red as a rose when I saw the inside._

_Hyuuga Hinata + Uzumaki Naruto = True love forever XOXO_

_Signed, _

_The Lovely Ino_

_I looked up, and Ino and Sakura were giggling silently and waving._

_In a rare moment of aggression, I balled up the paper and threw it across the room. It hit Ino square in the center of her head._

As the years grew on, the loneliness in his eyes grew less and less. I began to grow discouraged, feel as though I wasn't needed. The light in his eyes and the happiness he found with others outweighed my importance in the grand scheme of things.

Then I noticed something. Something disturbing, and quite frankly horrifying.

The light in his eyes was becoming like ice. It was brittle now, and the slightest thing might make it crack.

It was several years after Sasuke had defected, and I knew that he was beginning to lose hope that he would ever be able to bring his friend home, but I didn't expect it to have this sort of effect.

If his eyes broke, the rest of him would break with him, and he would be right where he had started.

I knew what he had been before he had been lovable, outgoing and strong. He had been like me, quiet and lonely. I didn't want to see him break _again._

His blue eyes were growing colder, and I didn't want to see him fade.

So I took action.

I had loved him for years. I know what that sounds like, but it's true, I have. I loved him for his compassion, his sadness, his cheerfulness, his determination, his inner strength, for his _eyes_, and I knew that my moment had finally come.

"_Um, Naruto-kun?" I had finally begun to overcome my stutter, something I was very proud of, and he seemed to notice, because he smiled._

"_Yeah, Hinata-chan?"_

"_I was wondering…well…I…Would you like to go out with me?"_

"_Sure!"_

It's been five years since that day, and every time I finger the little gold ring on my hand, I smile, and my heart skips a beat still.

I saved the light in his eyes, and I'm so glad I did. Because I found out that that light burned for me.


End file.
